I know there's a lot of TTRPGs in the world now, and I've heard in passing about games that use a system where different die-rolls determine different severity of wounds (low roll hits leave scratches, mid roll might nick an artery which needs tended soon but not immediately, high rolls are upper chest, neck and head shots, as an example) and have chances for long-term injuries and don't have hit-points. If you're run through with a sword or if you're stabbed in the neck (with a large enough blade), you're dead unless there's a healer right there to tend it. You could still be revived with magic I assume, though I like the limited revivals mechanics. Anyone have any suggestions for such systems they like that could be adapted to the D&D world? Idk how it would work with monsters and huge creatures but I'm curious.
EDIT: I'd been thinking about this for a while, but Shad really drove home a lot of my thoughts here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3afWLdtw4rY I would love a system where the dagger has a decreased chance to hit against longer weapons, but maybe they have a feat or ability that lets them represent their experience handling such encounters. And if they do get a chest stab it should be similar in damage to a sword or spear or w/e.
Personally, it's difficult to do specific wounds with a Hit Point system. By 10th level some bandit criting on you with a Greataxe means nothing. Generally I DM most of the attacks as minor unless it deals 1/3 or more of the HP, and still I tend not to do any major wounds on players unless the would be reduced to 0 HP.
Thanks but I was talking about a wound-based damage system that doesn't use HP at all, probably taken from another TTRPG, and was asking for suggestions. Not flavoring attacks. But thank you.
HP is such a central concept to D&D's combat that it's nearly impossible to replace that mechanic without massively overhauling the game. HP doesn't represent how badly you're beat up anyways. It's just an abstraction for how much fight/luck/stamina/plot armor you have left in you. You're not actually getting stabbed when you're hit with a knife attack; that only happens when your HP drops to 0.
The DMG has some optional rules for adding injuries to combat or dealing with massive damage.
Regarding your edit, a tabletop game with a wide range of fantasy monsters and a magic system can't accommodate detailed weapon combat rules. That'd be a better fit for games where all the combatants are humans with little or limited magic.
I agree it would be challenging, but I'm not afraid of getting into the weeds. I love the D&D world and honestly haven't played 5e much, but I've played similar and am just itching for a different flow. I've been envisioning making a campaign where magic and monsters are much more rare. Where many of the plot points concern politics, espionage, and war and other Plane's and God's presences are so rare in this world that many question their existence, even though they are very much there. Where giant monsters can't be killed by normal means and require siege weapons, massive arrow volleys, and high-tier magic.
Maybe a D&D website isn't the best place to ask about other game's mechanics lol but I figured there'd be some cross-over.
Check out Savage world, has a min damage to injure, then stacking wounds(healing would probably be a harder mechanic to adjust, could be real rough with multi attacking opponents)
Also I could see porting edge of the empire, it has a combination hp/wound mechanic. Crits wound, running out of hp causes wound. Only way to die is particularly bad wound. Has a percentile roll to tell severity that gets modified by the number of wounds accrued.
Im running a separate TTRPG that uses some core mechanics of dnd, and I’m doing a wound and bleed system, along with hp. Wounds can be dealt at times by crits, while every creature, (unless if undead) has a blood percentage in points, damage types such as slashing and piercing can cause a target to gain bleed points, which will decide how fast they will lose blood points per round (or rounds). At certain points of blood loss, characters or creatures will gain harmful status effects. Im not sure if this comment is helpful but now i’ve made it and there is no going back…
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I know there's a lot of TTRPGs in the world now, and I've heard in passing about games that use a system where different die-rolls determine different severity of wounds (low roll hits leave scratches, mid roll might nick an artery which needs tended soon but not immediately, high rolls are upper chest, neck and head shots, as an example) and have chances for long-term injuries and don't have hit-points. If you're run through with a sword or if you're stabbed in the neck (with a large enough blade), you're dead unless there's a healer right there to tend it. You could still be revived with magic I assume, though I like the limited revivals mechanics. Anyone have any suggestions for such systems they like that could be adapted to the D&D world? Idk how it would work with monsters and huge creatures but I'm curious.
EDIT: I'd been thinking about this for a while, but Shad really drove home a lot of my thoughts here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3afWLdtw4rY
I would love a system where the dagger has a decreased chance to hit against longer weapons, but maybe they have a feat or ability that lets them represent their experience handling such encounters. And if they do get a chest stab it should be similar in damage to a sword or spear or w/e.
Personally, it's difficult to do specific wounds with a Hit Point system. By 10th level some bandit criting on you with a Greataxe means nothing. Generally I DM most of the attacks as minor unless it deals 1/3 or more of the HP, and still I tend not to do any major wounds on players unless the would be reduced to 0 HP.
Thanks but I was talking about a wound-based damage system that doesn't use HP at all, probably taken from another TTRPG, and was asking for suggestions. Not flavoring attacks. But thank you.
HP is such a central concept to D&D's combat that it's nearly impossible to replace that mechanic without massively overhauling the game. HP doesn't represent how badly you're beat up anyways. It's just an abstraction for how much fight/luck/stamina/plot armor you have left in you. You're not actually getting stabbed when you're hit with a knife attack; that only happens when your HP drops to 0.
The DMG has some optional rules for adding injuries to combat or dealing with massive damage.
Regarding your edit, a tabletop game with a wide range of fantasy monsters and a magic system can't accommodate detailed weapon combat rules. That'd be a better fit for games where all the combatants are humans with little or limited magic.
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I agree it would be challenging, but I'm not afraid of getting into the weeds. I love the D&D world and honestly haven't played 5e much, but I've played similar and am just itching for a different flow. I've been envisioning making a campaign where magic and monsters are much more rare. Where many of the plot points concern politics, espionage, and war and other Plane's and God's presences are so rare in this world that many question their existence, even though they are very much there. Where giant monsters can't be killed by normal means and require siege weapons, massive arrow volleys, and high-tier magic.
Maybe a D&D website isn't the best place to ask about other game's mechanics lol but I figured there'd be some cross-over.
Check out Savage world, has a min damage to injure, then stacking wounds(healing would probably be a harder mechanic to adjust, could be real rough with multi attacking opponents)
Also I could see porting edge of the empire, it has a combination hp/wound mechanic. Crits wound, running out of hp causes wound. Only way to die is particularly bad wound. Has a percentile roll to tell severity that gets modified by the number of wounds accrued.
Im running a separate TTRPG that uses some core mechanics of dnd, and I’m doing a wound and bleed system, along with hp. Wounds can be dealt at times by crits, while every creature, (unless if undead) has a blood percentage in points, damage types such as slashing and piercing can cause a target to gain bleed points, which will decide how fast they will lose blood points per round (or rounds). At certain points of blood loss, characters or creatures will gain harmful status effects. Im not sure if this comment is helpful but now i’ve made it and there is no going back…